Als Get In On Free Agency In The Nic of Time

The Montreal Alouettes have been busy the last 48 hours bolstering their offensive depth.

The Alouettes announced on Wednesday that the team has signed international slotback Nik Lewis to a one-year deal with the club.

Lewis (5’10”, 240 lbs.) has had an exceptional CFL career thus far he has won the Grey Cup twice (2008, 2014) and sits 11th on the all-time CFL receiving list with 11,250 yards. Throuhgout his career, the 32-year old caught 805 passes, including 65 for touchdowns. He played eleven seasons in the CFL, all with the Calgary Stampeders, where he was named to the CFL All-Star team three times (2010, 2011 and 2012) after being named the CFL Most Outstanding Rookie in 2004.

“Nik is another piece of the puzzle to an outstanding receiving corps for 2015,” declared Alouettes General Manager Jim Popp. “His body of work speaks for itself and his style of play is very difficult to defend. We feel he adds a twist that every team in the CFL wish they could have.”

The former South Arkansas University Mulerider caught at least one pass in 166 consecutive games leading up to week 5 last season, when the sequence ended. He had nine seasons of over 1,000 receiving yards, which places him tied for third in the CFL all-time list. In three Grey Cup games, the Mineral Wells, TX native caught 17 passes for 235 yards. In 11 career playoff games he amassed 413 yards on 38 catches.

In Montreal, Lewis will join forces with Tom Higgins once again, as the latter was Lewis’ head coach in Calgary from 2005 to 2007.

Additionally, Montreal announced that the club has signed free agent quarterback Dan LeFevour to a one-year contract.

LeFevour (6’03”, 230 lbs.) spent all three of his seasons in the CFL with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats where he completed 141 of his 211 passes (66.8% completion rate) for 1,670 yards, while throwing five touchdown passes. The mobile pivot also added 631 rushing yards on 104 carries. The 27-year old had his best season in the CFL last year as he completed 101 of his 149 passes good for 1,276 yards and four touchdown passes.

“We are excited to add Dan to our mix of quarterbacks,” said Alouettes General Manager Jim Popp. “He has continued to grow and build off his outstanding collegiate career. He brings quality, experience, leadership, and competition to our team.”

Alouettes fans remember too well the damage the former Central Michigan Universtiy Chippewa caused during the 2013 Eastern Semi-Final, where he was used alternately with Henry Burris, collecting 36 passing yards and 61 rushing yards, while scoring the winning touchdown on a two-yard run in overtime.

Prior to joining the Tiger-Cats in 2012, the Downers Grove, IL native was drafted in the sixth round (181st total) in the NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars.

In the NCAA, LeFevour racked up an impressive total of 12,905 passing yards in his four seasons with the Chippewas, completing 1,171 of his 1,763 passes while throwing 102 touchdown passes. He also carried the ball 671 times for 2,948 rushing yards and 47 touchdowns.